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No. 872,042 P ATENTED NOV. 26, 1907. J. J. BARROW & T, J. KING. DRAWER OONTBNTS'INDEXING DEVICE.

APPLICATION IILED OCT. 8. 1900.

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.No. 872,042. PATENTED NOV. 26, 1907. J. J. BARROW & T. J. KING. DRAWER OONTENTSINDEXING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.8. 1906.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH JAMES marrow,

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA; SAID KIN OF LOUISBURG, NORTH CAROLINA, AND THOMAS JOEL KING, OF

G ASSIGNOR TO SAID BARROW.

DRAWERCONTENTSINDEXING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 26, 1907.

Application filed October 8. 1906. Serial No. 338,015.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOSEPH J i\l\[ES BAR- now and THOMAS JOEL KING, citizens of the United States, residing at Louisburg, in the county of Franklin, State of North Carolina, and Richmond, in the county of Henrico and State of Virginia, respectively, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drawer-Contents-Indexing Devices, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

Our present invention relates to improve ments in drawer contents indexing devices, and has special reference to a device attachable to or forming a part of the front of a drawer or file, by means of which the contents of the drawer or file, can be readily ascertained without the necessity of opening the drawer or file, and searching through the contents thereof.

To carry the idea into effect, we propose to employ any means which will readily accommodate a list or index, which is preferably so mounted as to be normally held out of view, but which when desired will expose a list of the contents to view by simply pulling the index from its receptacle. Any well known .means such as a spring roller may be employed to accomplish this result, but it is our desire to use any form of device that will perform the desired function, the most practical forms now presenting them selves, being the ones illustrated in the ac companying drawings, in which,-

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a drawer front with the indexing device attached thereto. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the device. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through the device and its roller. Figs. 4 and 5 are end views of the casing. Fig. 6 illustrates the. device, when used perpendicularly.

Referring to the drawings,-the numeral 1 designates the front of the drawer, to which is secured the casing 2, which is provided with the upper and lower flanges 3 and 3*, for the reception of a main index card 4. Below the flange 3, is provided a slot or opening 5, through which is adapted to pass the auxiliary index sheet 6, which is wound upon the roller 7, j ournaled within the casing. This roller is provided with the spring 8, which is so wound or tensioned, as to cause the sheet 6, to be returned automatically within the casing, when released. The ends 9 and 9, of the shaft a, carrying the roller, are mounted respectively in the slots 10 and 10, provided in the ends of the casing, the slot 1.0, being provided with a pivoted catch 11, to secure the roller toward the center of the casing. The slot 10, terminates in the substantially rectangular opening 12, for the reception of the removable holding and centering bushing 13. The cotter pin 13, in the end 9, of the shaft, permits the bushing 13, to be slid on or off the end 9, into or out of the rectangular opening or seat 12, which prevents the bushing from turning, so that the shaft may revolve and at the same time be held in proper position. Near the end 9 within the casing and surrounding the shaft is a spring attaching drum H. The roller carries the interior drum 15, to which the other end of the spring is attached, and by means of said spring the roller is revolved to return the index sheet within the casing. This construction is set forth in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the drawings.

The formation of the roller may be changed without affecting the principle of the invention, and the well known spring roller for curtain shades may be employed without departing from the spirit of our invention.

In Fig. 6 of the drawings, the indexing device 16, is secured vertically or perpendicularly upon the front 17, of the drawer, otherwise the construction is the same as above described.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the drawings, it is evident that we provide an auxiliary indexing sheet carried by the front of the drawer or file, which is readily accessible to ascertain the entire contents of the drawer or file, without necessitating the removal of the drawer or file, thus saving great time in searching records and in filing away papers, letters &c.

That we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,

1. In a device of this character, the combination of a casing, provided with a slot and a parallel main index support in its front wall, and with alined slots in its side walls terminating centrally of said walls, one of said slots terminating in a seat, a shaft having its ends mounted in said slots, means for holding one end in one slot, a bushing mounted in said seat and surrounding the other end of the shaft, an auxiliary index strip carried by said shaft and adapted to pass through the front slot, a spring normally holding the shaft so that the strip is wound thereon, and a main index supported upon the front wall of the caslng.

2. In a device of this character, the combination of a casing, provided with a slot and a parallel main index support in its front wall and with alined slots in its side walls, each terminating near the center of the side walls, a spring actuated roller having its journals mounted in the slots, means for holding one journal in one slot, a bushing slidably mounted upon the other journal and in the other slot to hold the journal centered and allow it to revolve, a main index carried in the support upon the front of the casing, and an auxiliary index strip carried by said roller and adapted to pass through the front walls slot.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures in presence of two Witnesses.

JOSEPH JAMES BARROW. THOMAS JOEL KING.

Witnesses:

O. V. VVINN, S. E. BROWN. 

